Pros & Cons: Renting A Home

Jul 22, 2010 15:00

Home rental can represent an important stage for growing social relationships
and taking care of life responsibilities. While the decision is up to you and
should be considered with careful thought, it is best to check out a few of the pros & cons below:

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYPROS: The largest financial responsibility when renting a home is coming up with a deposit, security, and possibly first and last month's rent when moving in. For the majority of renter's this is the number one reason for renting. The responsibility of paying rent every month is a plus for many.

CONS: When renting a home, since there is no financial commitment, there also isn't the benefit of appreciating value in a home. This simply means – you will never get your money back to you when renting. While in an appreciating home market, the sale of your home can lead to great financial gain in the future.LANDLORDSPROS: When you stay at a hotel and the television doesn't work – don't you call down to the front desk for them to 'fix' the situation? This is one of the pros of renting a home, the responsibility of maintaining the appliances, repairs, and physical appearance of the home is on the landlord. For many people, this makes renting a home much more appealing than owning a home. The idea that a broken toilet is not your concern, can be a wonderful relief from renter's minds!

CONS: The world is full of bad landlords. The downside to renting is that now your health, safety and welfare may rest in the attentiveness of your landlord. If you have a repairs in your home that never get fixed, or get fixed too late, landlords may not respond to your concerns. Remember, in many jurisdictions they are 'Renter's Rights', if you feel your landlord is taking advantage look into these laws.

PERSONALIZEPROS: Those who rent a home have to check with their leasing company/landlord as to what can be done to personalize the home. Many landlords will let you paint, hang pictures, and will even keep up the landscaping on a rental home. If you are fortunate to get these options in a landlord, don't take it for granted, and take good care of the rental property.

CONS: Many leasing companies and landlords don't want any cosmetic alterations done to the home. This can mean, no hanging pictures on the walls due to possible holes, to keeping the existing wall paint color as-is. Often times in rental homes, the turnover rate of new tenants is high, therefore the landlord doesn't want to have to put a lot of energy and money into making your space rentable to the next tenant. Talk over décor flexibility with your landlord, he/she may be more flexible than you think.

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